Epilepsies are the most common group of serious neurological disorders, affecting 50 million people of all ages globally. Epilepsy should not be regarded as one specific disease entity as it associates with, and/or results from, many aetiologies, ranging from single genetic point mutations, to metabolic dysfunction or acquired brain lesions. Indeed, any brain can generate seizures and any lesion may lower the brain’s seizure threshold. During their last executive board meeting in February 2015, WHO has acknowledged the global burden of epilepsy and the need for coordinated action at the country level to address its health, social and public knowledge implications. Click links for further information about epilepsy and WHO initiatives.

Members of the International Society of Neuropathology (ISN) sometimes ask me where do our dues go and what does the ISN actually do with them, so I thought that it would be useful to provide a brief update on some of our recent activities and invite feedback.

The ISN was created in to foster collaborations between the national neuropathology societies, promote the exchange of information between neuropathologists and the advancement of neuropathology globally. We are trying to achieve these aims by a variety of means as shown by some recent examples.

Travel awards: We offer a range of awards to allow young neuropathologists from economically disadvantaged countries to attend international educational meetings and visit other departments. In the last 2 years we have approved 13 awards to applicants from a number of countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, China, Mozambique, Indonesia and India. We hope that these experiences will allow the individuals to expand their neuropathology knowledge and inspire them to develop local neuropathology services for the benefit of their patient populations.

Every issue of Brain Pathology features a selection of Cases of the Month – these are cases that are of greater than normal clinical interest, have unusual symptoms and/or diagnostic findings, or involve rare diseases or conditions. They are collected and edited by Ronald L Hamilton, MD, Department of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and the full version of the cases can be found here.

The International Society welcomes membership of any person (pathologist, clinician, scientist, veterinarian) who has a significant interest in Neuropathology. There is both corporate membership and individual membership. Find out more here.

The International Society of Neuropathology produces the journals Brain Pathology in partnership with the publishers, Wiley. In addition it has published a series of up to date books covering the pathology and genetics of Cerebrovascular Diseases, Developmental Neuropathology, Neurodegeneration. Peripheral Nerve Disorders and Skeletal Muscle Diseases. Full details of each of these publications, how to subscribe and contribute them is available in this section.